Just from an individual standpoint, the Jamesville-DeWitt/CBA boys swim team might have more talent on hand than Mexico.
Yet it was the Tigers that came out in front in last Friday’s showdown for first place in the Onondaga High School League, winning the last race of the night to pull out a 95-91 victory over the Red Rams.
Each side had won one relay when the final 400 freestyle relay got started. J-D/CBA, needing to win, did a terrific job as Brian Daley, Garrett Farchione, Russ Farchione and Eric Jorgensen put together a time of 3:29 flat.
And it still wasn’t enough. Mexico’s quartet of Zach Earl, Logan Killian, Josh Russo and Mike Hartwell won in a time of 3:27.53, nearly a second and a half ahead of J-D/CBA, which gave them the clinching points.
Prior to that, Mexico gathered points through second and third-place finishes as the Red Rams headed to the front of most individual events.
Jorgensen was first in the 200 freestyle in a blistering 1:47.54, then hit a higher gear for the 500 freestyle as he broke the five-minute mark and won in 4:57.50.
Garrett Farchione would claim first in the 100 butterfly in 58.47 seconds, then hold off Killian, 58.96 seconds to 59.66, to take the 100 backstroke. Russ Farchione rolled through the 200 individual medley (2:08.58) and, in the 100 breaststroke, posted a time of 1:06.86, just ahead of the Tigers’ Rich DeLong (1:07.14).
As Daley won the 50 freestyle (23.55 seconds), Kyle Mooney took second on the diving board, with 201.05 points to the 203.30 posted by Mexico’s Nick Rodriguez.
J-D/CBA would only win one of the three relays — the 200 freestyle, where Jorgensen, Daley, Jamison Devesty and Russ Farchione won in 1:33.82.
Right before meeting Mexico, J-D/CBA faced Weedsport, and needed to work hard to put together a 96-87 victory over the Warriors.
Daley had the most active role. He won the 200 freestyle (2:14.80) on his own right after helping the Red Rams claim the 200 medley relay in 1:51.64 and before he participated on the winning 200 freestyle relay (1:39.05) squad.
Cole Speidel, Dan Schoeneck and Garrett Farchione helped Daley in the 200 medley, and Schoeneck went on to take the 100 butterfly (1:06.12), while Speidel needed 55.67 seconds to win the 100 freestyle. Farchione lost a close 100 breaststroke match to Weedsport’s Tyler DeNoudo, 1:13.02 to DeNoudo’s 1:13.01.
Meanwhile, Russ Farchione won the 500 freestyle (5:40.26) before teaming with Daley, Max Devesty and Matt Kopp in the 200 free relay. Jorgensen stepped in during the 50 freestyle, winning in 22.71 seconds.
In its only action last week, Fayetteville-Manlius rolled past Nottingham 108-72 at the home pool that both of them share.
Kevin Koh won the 50 freestyle (22.91 seconds) and swam the 100 butterfly in 54.99 seconds after helping Ryan Kelley, Will Twichell and Jack Robinson tear to victory in the 200 medley relay in 1:46.01.
Robinson, for his part, earned first place in the 500 freestyle in 5:01.57 and also would beat the field in the 100 backstroke with a clocking of 58.85 seconds. Kelley, after taking the 200 IM (2:12.05), would claim the 100 breaststroke in 1:04.24.
Luke Oliverio’s turn came in the 100 freestyle, where he had a top time of 53.09 seconds before helping Koh, Twichell and Zach Swanson win the 200 freestyle relay (1:40.60). In the 200 freestyle, Swanson prevailed in 2:01.97.